The Lady Daly is a hotel in Hindmarsh with a long history. The latest custodian of this historic and pub is Mandy Collins - who has shaped it into a retro haven for the local community, visitors and ... dogs.
The dogs feature prominently on the pub’s Insta page, each having a profile with their name, breed, likes, dislikes.
Hospitality was one of the most hard hit sectors with the pandemic and Mandy was very open in sharing how this impacted her and her business. You can view the interview below (just under 4 minutes).
Now in 2021 the momentum is starting to rebuild, as terms such as ‘vertical consumption’ (being able to drink alcohol without while standing and not having to sit at a table) QR codes, and Covid Marshalls become part of our new vocabulary.
Events are coming back! And functions, which were simply not viable for the better part of 2020 are now starting to come back.
What we most wanted to learn about was the ‘reset’ that a lot of business owners talked to us about, and what this meant to her.
Mandy said that it helped her reconnect to the core of what business they were in. Hospitality. Caring for others. And Gratitude.
In this video Mandy talks about how during the shutdown, she started letting their kitchen be used by a group of volunteers to prepare food for the homeless in the city. Even though they are well past the 'shutdown' days, the kitchen is still being used by this group to this day.
She also have provided the venue to a social church group which is providing friendship and support to newly arrived migrants and refugees, giving them a sense of place in the community.
For Mandy, these experiences have helped her put things into perspective – being more patient, tolerant and truly grateful for what she has.
This may not seem like a business conversation, yet it is such a recurring theme from our business owners that it feels that it is important to share.
Many local businesses expressed a similar sentiment – that when the situation became dire, a focus on the essence and what was most important – and the original reason for their business has come into sharper focus.
Mandy also agreed to be a venue partner for local musicians and artists for the #liveandlocal grants from City of Charles Sturt – feeling privileged to be able to provide an opportunity for artists who have also been severely impacted to have a venue and get paid equity rates for their work.
If you have not been to The Lady Daly, look out for it on Port Road, in the Entertainment Centre precinct and across the road from The Gov.
Mandy Collins was a recipient of the Business Support Package through the live and local and business advisory services.
Have a story to share? Get in touch with us.
Urszula Richards
Business Marketing Advisor - Urban Projects
E: urichards@charlessturt.sa.gov.au